DELIGHTED: Simon Grayson wants to give Sunderland fans a team to be proud of

New Sunderland manager Simon Grayson is thrilled with the opportunity to take over at the Stadium of Light.

And he is determined to bring the good times back to Wearside, following last season’s morale-sapping relegation to the Championship.

Grayson left Preston to pen a three-year deal with the Black Cats tonight.

And the Yorkshireman revealed: “I am delighted to come to Sunderland, a club with such wonderful history and tradition.

“I’m excited by the opportunity to manage this club and I want to bring the good times back.

“Sunderland is so fortunate to have such tremendous support and I want to give these fans a team they can be proud of.

I want a group of players full of desire, team spirit and a never-say-die attitude – that’s the very least that we should expect from a Sunderland player.

“The Championship is a demanding league, but, with all the attributes I have highlighted, our aim has to be to get the club back to where it belongs as quickly as possible and I can’t wait to get started.”

Grayson will meet up with the players tomorrow, before flying out to Austria with them for a five-day pre-season training camp on Saturday.

He teams up again with his Preston assistant manager Glynn Snodin, brother of one-time Sunderland loanee Ian, while Robbie Stockdale remains as first-team coach and Adrian Tucker as goalkeeping coach.